TGDB.net - Game news, cheats, solutions, walkthroughs, trainers, saved games and much more!

Laura Bow 2: Dagger Of Amon Ra

Introduction

So, you didn't have enough with finding heaps of bodies and almost getting
killed in the Colonel's Bequest. Now you want to find even more bodies (in
even more grisly condition) and almost get killed again. Some people just
never learn, huh? (grin)

The first thing you should do is sit through one playing of the game's
introduction. This sets up the mystery to follow, and also provides a valuable
clue or two for the end game.

Throughout this walkthru, I will be making the assumption that whenever you
examine something, you are doing it with both the naked eye and the magnifying
glass (so I won't have to keep repeating myself ;). This is very important, as
often you will not see a critical piece of evidence if you don't use the
glass...and you do have to see pretty much everything (as well as taking
anything that isn't nailed down, in the usual tradition of adventure games).

I will also be assuming that you're saving the game as you go along, just as a
precaution. Even with a walkthru in hand, it's easy to make a little mistake
and find yourself dead, or head into a new Act without some vital item.
Certain places are more dangerous than others, and I will warn you
specifically to save at those points...but be sure to do it regularly
throughout the game nonetheless.

Act I is fairly standard stuff, and it's hard to go wrong there. After that,
the next four acts take place in the museum, and the clock advances and acts
changed based on both time and actions. So, especially in Act III, time may
drag a little. If you've done everything, just be patient. Eventually the
action will pick up (and when you get to Act V, you may wish things were a bit
slower!).

In Act VI, where you make your accusations, you have to be very careful. One
mistake here could bring Laura to an untimely end, and we don't want that.
This is particularly true since you can't save in this segment, so you have to
get it all right the first time.

Finally, two maps come with the game. One is a layout of the main level, and
is on the "museum card" that comes in the game box. The other is a rough
drawing of the lower level in the Leyendecker guide book. Since these are
available, most of the time I'll just be telling you which rooms to visit
without giving the directions. With the maps at hand, you should be able to
find your way to various locations without any trouble.


Act I

Okay, so here you are, Laura Bow, hotshot reporter for a great metropolitan
newspaper with an unusually long name (heh). After you pass Rube's simple
Egyptology question (the game's copy protection of sorts; if you happen to be
up on your Egyptology, you probably don't even need the stuff in the manual),
have a seat at your desk.

This will bring up a view of the blotter. Lift the lower right corner to get
the drawer key. Open the drawer and take the press pass inside. That's all in
the desk, so investigate the trash can next. Hmmm...a baseball, eh? Who knows,
maybe you can break a window with it or something.

These are the only things to find in the office. Now have a chat with Rube and
ask him about everything that's in your notebook. When you've exhausted his
fund of knowledge, it's time to hit the streets and do some investigative
legwork of your own.

Much of what follows can be done in almost any order, at least to a point. So
if you're already playing the game and did things a little differently, don't
worry about it. By the way, the museum is closed and will stay closed until
you're ready for the big party, so there's no reason to go there until the end
of Act I.

Let's try the police station first. Touch the taxi sign with the hand icon,
and wave your press pass at Rocco (who must have a very poor memory, since you
have to show him your pass every time you ride in the cab).

When you arrive at the precinct, you'll find a drunk snoring away on the
sidewalk. Amazing that the cops let him sleep here. Anyway, go over there and
try to wake him up (use the hand icon; talking doesn't work too well). He
isn't interested, and turns over. That's enough for now; step inside and have
a brief talk with the desk sergeant.

Not very cooperative, is he? However, his outburst holds a clue to what can
soften him up a little, namely some food. Keep that in mind as you head for
the office door in back and a visit with Detective O'Riley.

This portion is all automatic, and O'Riley isn't any more helpful than the
sergeant; in fact, he may even be worse. At least you got a look at the skimpy
police report before he kicked you out. Don't bother trying to get back in
again; this is the one and only time you'll see O'Riley until the museum fund
raiser this evening.

When you leave the station, you'll note that the drunk has gone, but his
newspaper is there on the sidewalk. Picking it up and examining it shows you a
coupon for a free corned beef sandwich. Just the thing for Flaherty! Now all
you have to do is find Luigi.

Which isn't all that difficult, since he just appeared outside the paper. Take
the taxi back to the Trib, and exchange the coupon for a sandwich. Poor Luigi;
for some businesses, modern advertising methods don't work too well. But you
have what you need, so taxi on over to the precinct house again.

Give the sandwich to the sergeant, who will now be happy to answer any of your
questions. As it turns out, he knows very little about most things, but he has
one piece of important info, namely the password to the speakeasy (which
conveniently appears in the back of your notebook).

Time to visit the laundry. Outside, you'll see three kids burning up ants (an
old New York pastime, no doubt ;) with a magnifying glass. Stinky isn't a very
pleasant kid, but Biff is a bit more mellow. Offer your baseball to him, and
you'll get the magnifying glass. Step inside and have a talk with Lo Fat if
you like; he doesn't have any real information for you, but it's interesting.

After this, take a ride to the docks and meet Steve Dorian. He'll give you the
information that Carrington was picked up by the Countess Waldorf-Carlton, and
her name is now in your little black book. That's about all you'll get from
Steve, and I know you really want to have a peek at the speakeasy, so make
that your next stop.

After saying the secret word, talk to Ziggy who is sitting at the first table
on your right. This will add another name or two to your book, and acquaint
you with the Amon Ra riddle, which is of critical importance later on (of
course, since you have this walkthru, you don't really have to puzzle out the
answers, but you might want to try figuring it out before you get down to Act
V of the game).

In the rear right is the door to the Women's Lounge, currently inhabited by a
not very savory flapper. You can interrogate her, although you won't learn
very much. That takes care of your first visit to the speak.

When you call for a taxi, you'll notice that you finally get a different
driver, namely Bob The Slob. Filthy would be an understatement for the
condition of his vehicle. However, all that trash is about to provide you
with a very necessary item.

Don't be in a hurry to give a destination. Instead, start moving around the
trash that is just to the right of Laura. Do this by putting the hand icon on
a piece of garbage, holding down the mouse button, and dragging the trash
away. At the very bottom, you will uncover an old laundry ticket. Now you can
have Bob drive you to Lo Fat's.

As probably guessed, you exchange the ticket for an evening gown. Still in
pretty good shape after two years on the rack (good thing it didn't go to rack
and ruin, eh? ;). Now all you have to do is speed back to the speakeasy, and
change clothes in the women's room (under the beady eyes of the flapper;
definitely NOT a nice person). Once you're in the fancy get-up, the program
takes over and whisks you automatically to the museum entrance....and a whole
lot of trouble! (grin)

ACT II

All right, you sashay up the steps, and meet Wolf Heimlich, museum security
chief and stormtrooper-in-training. Wolf is about the only person in the game
you can't ask anything, because you never have the opportunity. Besides, he's
the type that likes to be on the other side of the chair during
interrogations. Hand him your press pass and step into the museum.

Fancy layout, huh? They sure could build some nice things in the old days,
when money went much further than it does today. A lot of snobbery went along
with those bucks, though, so don't bother trying to talk to anyone but the
main characters, because you won't get a response.

What you have to do here is waltz back and forth and eavesdrop on a total of
fourteen different conversations. You may want to write the numbers 1-14 on a
piece of paper and cross them off as they occur to help you keep track of
them. Remember to talk to the suspects and future victims as well (there will
be time for this inbetween the conversations). They have some interesting and
important things to say.

Also during your peregrinations, be sure to pick up an empty glass. This will
come in handy later on, for listening in on people behind closed doors. Sorry
to say, however, you won't be able to try any of the fine food and drink being
offered (considering the strenuous evening ahead of her, you'd think Laura
would be allowed at least a little something; she hasn't eaten all day!).

When you've finished with the conversations (Steve Dorian is here, too, and is
likely to be the last one you listen in on), stroll over to the museum Gift
Shoppe, which has been left conveniently unlocked for you. Most of the stuff
in here is just the usual junk reproductions, but those daggers in the case
look interesting.

Scope 'em out with your magnifying glass. Made in Pittsburgh, eh? They do
pretty good work there. Well well, what's this near the end? Funny, this
dagger doesn't have "made in Pittsburgh" on it. Do you suppose....naahhh, it
just couldn't be THE dagger, could it?

Well, of course it is, but you have no way of getting it right now. The locked
case is locked and there's nothing you can do about it. Besides, good old
Wolfie just goose-stepped into the room and kicked you out.

At least this gives you the opportunity to have a romantic interlude with
Steve the wannabe artist and sometime stevedore (he also walks a lot like
Robbie the Robot for some reason). When the moonlight walk is over and you're
back in the museum, it's time to do a little exploring.

You'll note that all the main characters have, by this time, more or less
disappeared from view. They'll be turning up again throughout the game, in one
condition or another (usually dead ;). For now, head into the Mastodon Room,
then north to the T. Rex exhibit, and pick up the bone. You never know when a
heavy old bone might come in handy.

Continue on through the Armor Room and into the Egyptian exhibit, far left.
Since this is a murder mystery, you just *know* there's a body in one of those
mummy cases. In case you had any doubts, there is also a small pool of blood
and an ankh in front of one of them.

Before you go discovering any corpses, though, pick up the ankh and take some
time to view the half Rosetta stone on display. This will put the hieroglyphs
in your notebook.

Now you can open that mummy case, and get a wonderful view of Dr. Pippin
Carter, complete with fake dagger through his chest. Marvelous sight, eh?
Maybe not eating earlier wasn't such a bad idea, after all. After examining
the body, grab the notebook from his jacket and exit the close-up. This will
bring O'Riley to the scene and conclude Act II.

?
Laura Bow 2: Dagger Of Amon Ra

Act III

This is the longest act of the game, with much to see and do, so remember to
save often. Once the automatic part at the beginning of the act ends, it's
time to do some major snooping around the museum.

Let's visit the Old Masters Gallery first. Just because there's been a murder
doesn't mean you can't take out a little time for art appreciation (heh).
Actually, there is a lot more here than is first apparent. For instance, there
is a gleam from one of the pictures. What could this be?

Click the eye on the lower right (for some reason, it has to be the lower
right corner) of the painting. A close-up with the magnifying glass shows a
skeleton key! However, it's stuck pretty tight on the canvas, and you have no
way of getting it right now. Just remember this later on.

Now check out the other paintings. Hmmm...some of them seem a bit recent, eh?
If you touch them, you'll discover that most are still wet, and you actually
smear the paint! Get the feeling that some of these "old masters" may not be
so old, and may even be forgeries? There sure are a lot of strange things
going on in this museum.

While you ponder that, continue on to the hallway with the statue of Rodin's
The Thinker. Ah, voices coming from behind Yvette's door. Quickly you whip out
your trusty drinking glass and listen in. Unfortunately, just as she and
Olympia are getting to the good part, they lower their voices. Darn!

That's all you're going to get from spying right now, so go over and examine
the statue. Good stuff, except there appears to be something a trifle odd
about the neck. Give it a push. The head slides up, and The Thinker looks
really odd now. And in the distance, you hear something heavy move. Let's go
find out what that was.